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The Mongolian government will cover utility costs of households and businesses for 7 months to help cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh announced last Sunday, Dec. 13 that payments for water, heat, electricity and waste will be written off from Dec. 1 2020 to July 1, 2021, as per China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Over 890,000 households and 123,800 organizations could benefit from the move. There are exceptions to the policy, which are as follows: governmental organizations, state and local-owned entities, mining companies, wholesalers, retailers and alcohol or tobacco producers.
Erdenet Mining Corporation, a state corporation, will have to shell out 650 billion Mongolian Tugriks (P10.9 billion) to cover the expenses, Khurelsukh said.
Mongolia’s ger (tent) districts in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar will see the price of processed fuel decreased by 75% during the same period. Ger areas have poor urban infrastructure and do not have running water, heating and sewage systems.
Before the peak of the pandemic, Mongolia was able to control the influx of the coronavirus by closing its borders to China on Jan. 22. However, a nationwide lockdown was imposed in November when the country recorded its first domestic transmission on Nov. 11, Nikkei Asia reported on Wednesday, Dec. 16.
According to the World Health Organization, Mongolia has 941 confirmed COVID-19 cases and no deaths. Niña V. Guno/JB
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